The use of endoscopic procedures in surgery has become widely accepted. The term “endoscopic” refers to all types of minimally invasive surgical procedures including laparoscopic and arthroscopic procedures. Endoscopic surgery has numerous advantages compared to traditional open surgical procedures, including reduced trauma, faster recovery, reduced risk of infection, and reduced scarring.
Numerous endoscopic instruments have been developed that allow the surgeon to perform complex surgical procedures with minimal incisions into the skin and tissue surrounding a particular body cavity or anatomical region. In order to introduce the endoscopic instrumentation into the body cavity, a device known as a “trocar” is often used to puncture and/or cannulate the wall of the body cavity. Trocars are widely known in the art and typically comprise an obturator and a cannula. The obturator typically includes a sharply pointed or appropriately structured tip that facilitates penetration of the body cavity wall. The cannula provides a channel or opening through the body cavity wall through which endoscopic instruments may be introduced and removed by the surgeon.
Endoscopic surgery is often performed with an insufflatory fluid present within the body cavity, such as carbon dioxide or saline, to provide adequate space to perform the intended surgical procedures. The insufflated cavity is generally under pressure and is sometimes referred to as being in a state of pneumoperitoneum. It is common for a sealing arrangement or seal assembly to be used in association with the trocar to maintain pneumoperitoneum. The seals will generally prevent the insufflatory fluid from escaping while an endoscopic instrument is positioned in the trocar cannula.
No one has previously made or used a trocar or seal in accordance with the present invention.